


Marching On

by AbominableSnowmanNamedStiles



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alive Fred Weasley, Alive Nymphadora Tonks, Alive Remus Lupin, Alive Sirius Black, Child Abuse, F/M, Gen, Kidnapping, Many minor pairings, No Weasley Bashing, Past Harry/Ginny - Freeform, Past Ron/Hermione - Freeform, children in peril, epilogue never happened, handwave many deaths, may add more tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-28 06:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6318853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbominableSnowmanNamedStiles/pseuds/AbominableSnowmanNamedStiles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry still loved Ginny. He always would. She was the mother of his children, after all. He cared for her just like he cared for all of his friends, but the original spark was gone. The divorce went by without much conflict, unlike Ron and Hermione's messy separation when Ron thought Hermione was cheating on him with Draco Malfoy. He knew that it was the right decision, but raising three kids alone while being the DADA professor at Hogwarts is difficult. As Harry Potter, his life is never easy, and danger is always just around the corner... and behind his back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not, and never will, own Harry Potter.
> 
> IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE
> 
> This story had several changes to canon. I will leave them here for readers to understand a few things.
> 
> One: Sirius never died. I love him too much so, Sirius is still alive and being awesome. He is the Charms Professor at Hogwarts and married a muggle, Cassiopeia "Cassie" White who lives with him at Hogwarts. He has a daughter who is James' age named Corina "Cori".
> 
> Two: Fred also never died, because I am in complete denial. He married Alicia Spinnet and had five children, all girls. The oldest is eleven at the start and a first year named Georgia. Then it is Isabelle "Izzy" who is four years younger than Georgia. Then he had twins two years after that, Faith and Grace. The youngest is a one-year-old Jessica. George's son is still Fred, though he goes by Freddie.
> 
> Three: Remus and Tonks didn't die (you see a pattern here?). They raised Teddy and Teddy is a Hufflepuff. They also had one other child, a girl named Caroline who is eleven and starting Hogwarts. Teddy will be going into his fourth year.
> 
> Four: Harry is not an auror. He is a teacher at Hogwarts. He teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hermione teachers Transfiguration, Draco Malfoy teaches Potions, Sirius, as I said, teaches Charms, and Neville still teaches Herbology. Astoria, Draco's wife, is practicing to be the new Hogwarts Matron.
> 
> Five: Neville and Luna are together. They have four children: Frank (8), Alice (5), and Lorcan and Lysander (4). Luna is a wand maker and works at Ollivanders.
> 
> Six: Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones were killed in the Battle of Hogwarts. Hannah was killed by Fenrir Greyback and Susan was killed protecting a younger student who had stayed to fight.
> 
> Anything else that you might see in this story will be clear, such as Ron and Hermione's divorce. If you have any questions, leave them in a comment.

The day was bright and there was not a single cloud to be seen in the sky. The neighborhood of Godric's Hollow was quiet, save the birds whose songs filled the early morning sky. The peacefulness of the area was a far cry from the horror that had occurred thirty years prior. Gone were the memories of the burning home and the horrified screams of neighbors. The graves of James and Lily Potter were just another grave in the graveyard.

Well, to everyone but their son. At thirty one, Harry Potter visited the graveyard near his home that he had settled in after the war at least once a week. Ginny often came with him and lately, so did his children.

At the Potter Cottage, Harry and his wife were in the kitchen, talking quietly. The smell of bacon and pancakes permeated the air, drawing their three children from their beds. An ecstatic eight-year-old whom had been given the name James Sirius hopped into the kitchen, ready to eat. He was followed by his little sister, four-year-old Lily Luna, whose big brown eyes were drawn to the food. Six-year-old Albus Severus sleepily shuffled in moments later.

Harry smiled nervously at his children. They had gone all out with breakfast, hoping to get their kids in a good mood before explaining the news. He wasn't looking forward to it. Sirius, his godfather, had suggested that he come for moral support, but Harry knew that this was something he and Ginny needed to tell them themselves.

As Ginny piled food on the children's plates, Harry let his eyes wander of them. James was getting so big. He had messy hair like Harry's and big brown eyes like Ginny's that shined with mischief. Ever since he had been born two months early, that little boy had been nothing but trouble, and it didn't help that Sirius had pretty much taken him under his wing and taught him to be the best prankster ever.

Albus was much different than his brother. He was kind and quiet, always willing to help, but he was also painfully shy. It was hard to take the child out into public. The fact that he was nearly a carbon copy of Harry made him the apple of the Public's eye and he was always hiding behind Harry's legs when people would stare.

Lily was his little princess. With her long, Weasley red hair and bright brown eyes, she looked just like Ginny had when she was younger and she was a fiery little four-year-old. She wasn't shy and was always looking to make friends with people. She usually could, as well. Everyone instantly fell in love with her outgoing personality and she lit up the room whenever she entered.

He'd tried his best to make sure they had an amazing childhood… and now they were going to ruin it.

He felt horrible.

Sitting beside Ginny, he sent her a look. She nodded. They both knew that they had to do it. They couldn't keep on like this anymore.

"James, Albus, Lily," Harry spoke getting their attention. Usually, it took a while to get them quiet down in the excited chatter (especially James and Lily) but they obviously noticed something in their father's voice.

"We have something to tell you," Ginny continued. Her hands shook slightly and she put them on her lap, keeping them steady.

Harry took a deep breathe. He could see the curiosity gleaming in the children's eyes.

It took him a minute but he finally managed to speak again. It would be better to just get this over with. There was no use trying to hide it anymore, "You know that your mother and I love you all very much, right?"

They nodded, looking confused.

"Well, lately your mother and I have realized that things aren't working out between us," Harry said slowly, "We've decided that the best thing for us to do is to… get a divorce."

"What's a diborse?" Lily asked, not understanding. It was obvious that James understood though, if the horrified look on his face was anything to go by. Albus knew, as well. They could remember Ron and Hermione's recent separation better than Lily could.

Ginny decided to explain this, "Well, your father and I are going to be living in separate places. We're going to be separated."

"But," James spoke up, eyebrows scrunched together, "I thought you loved each other."

"We do," Ginny assured him, "But, it's not the same. We love each other as friends but not how we used to. Do you understand?"

James shook his head. His lower lip wobbled, "But what's going to happen to us?"

Harry sighed, glancing at Albus and Lily. Lily still looked confused, but he could see that she was slowly starting to understand. Albus was silent and Harry could see tears in his eyes.

"We're going to have joint custody," Ginny explained softly, "You will stay with your father for one week and then me for another week. We've already decided that I'll keep the house and Harry is going to be staying at Hogwarts. That means that you three will get to live at Hogwarts when you're with him."

That seemed to cheer James up a little. Harry was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts but he had never actually lived at the castle before. He had his own quarters for between classes but he would always floo home once all his classes were over, and on the weekends. The three children had visited Hogwarts before and absolutely loved it.

"Really?" James asked excitedly, though there was still a tinge of sadness in his voice.

The news, however, had Lily elated as she stood up and started bouncing up and down, "When do we go? When do we go?"

"Well, I'll be staying here until the summer is over," Harry explained to his daughter, "But we will be going over to Hogwarts this weekend to set up your bedrooms in my quarters. I've already talked to McGonagall about adding three more bedrooms. Would you like that?"

Summer still had three weeks left. They had chosen on telling their children the plans early. The divorce was already going through.

Unlike Hermione and Ron whose divorce had been the result of an epic fight when Ron discovered that Hermione was now on friendly terms with Draco Malfoy (Hermione was the Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts and Draco taught Potions so they kind of had to be), Harry and Ginny had both simply come to the realization that they didn't love each other anymore. Of course, they still cared about each other but the original love was gone. Their divorce was clean, not messy. Harry had offered her to stay in the house and they had split everything evenly and without conflict.

Hermione and Ron's divorce had been a bit messy. Ron was convinced that Hermione was cheating on him with Draco, despite her insistence that she would never do that. They fought over the house and the money and even the kids. Eventually, Harry had sat them both down and they had managed to come up with an agreement. Ron kept the house and Hermione now lived at Hogwarts. Hermione had gotten primary custody of the kids, as Ron's job as an Auror had odd, long hours and the then three and five year old's needed a parent to be with them more often.

Still, they saw their father every other weekend. Ron and Hermione had gotten over the horrible fight but had realized that their marriage would have never worked out. Ron was currently dating Katie Bell and they got along much better than he and Hermione ever had.

He knew it would be much different between himself and Ginny. It wasn't messy. Things were mutual. They had an understanding.

Harry's eyes found Albus' matching ones. They were filling up with tears and he quickly stood and gathered the small boy in his arms. He had known that Albus would be the most affected by this. He was always more sensitive than the other two.

He hugged his middle child to him and rubbed his back soothingly as the boy started to cry.

"Hey, don't worry, bud," he whispered in his ear, "Everything's going to be okay."


	2. Back to Hogwarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and the kids go to Hogwarts and the First Year Sorting has some interesting results.

"Daddy! Look over here! Daddy!"

Harry glanced up from where he was tiredly going over documents on his desk. School would be starting later that day and he needed to be ready. He was going to be sending his kids to Cassie, Sirius' wife, soon for the feast. He was starting to regret not sending them earlier, especially when he saw what Lily wanted him to see.

She was floating in midair.

Heart in his throat, he quickly hopped off the desk and grabbed her out of the air. She giggled happily, "Magic, daddy! I did magic!"

He nodded, "Yes, you did," he said, trying to keep himself calm. Lily had yet to do magic, as they usually started around four or five, and it was not going to be fun with three of them doing accidental magic. Two was bad enough. James had nearly set the house on fire several times and Albus had a habit of making things shatter when he was upset.

"Be careful," he told her as he set her down. Once sure that she was not going to float and possible hurt herself, he gave a sigh of relief, "Where are your brothers?"

"I'm not supposed to say."

Harry raised his eyebrows at his daughter and crossed his arms, "Oh?"

She nodded, looking proud, "James said that if I don't tell anyone what he's doing, he'll give me his cookie at dinner."

"Well, if you tell me what he's doing, I'll tell Aunt Cassie to give you the biggest cookie."

Lily's eyes lit up as if Harry had just promised her the world. She nodded quickly and grinned widely, "Okay, I'll tell you. Jamie and Albie went exploing!"

Harry didn't bother correcting the child on her word. He simply sighed and ran his hand over his face. He'd told them several times that they could not explore the castle without him but of course, they did not listen.

He checked his watch. He had an hour before the feast. He just had to find them, send them to Cassie's, and get to the feast. He could do this.

Luckily, he had the map.

Opening the drawer on his desk, he pulled out the Marauders Map. Lily hopped up beside him, peering at it as he spoke the words and watched as the castle appeared.

"Ooh," Lily whispered in amazement.

He searched the map for his son's names and saw them on the fourth floor. He folded the map up and turned to his daughter, "Want to come with me to get your brothers?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

He lifted her onto his shoulders and left his quarters, making sure to lock it on his way out. He held the map in his hands, making sure the two boys didn't leave the area, and headed straight for where they were. They seemed to be a deep conversation with a portrait.

"James. Albus."

The two boys looked up at him and guilty expressions immediately crossed over their faces. Harry raised his eyebrows at them and Lily giggled slightly from above his head.

"Hey, Dad," James said sheepishly.

Harry sighed. He knew he would have to punish them for disobeying but he honestly didn't have time at the moment.

"Come on, we need to get to Cassie's. I'll talk to you two tonight."

Harry had never been the one to discipline. That had always been Ginny.

The two boys nodded, grateful that they would get out of their punishment for the moment, and Harry grabbed both of their hands and started walking down the hall.

It didn't take long to reach Sirius and Cassie's quarters, luckily. He knocked on the portrait of a big black dog and beautiful white tabby cat and it recognized his magic signature. It opened up almost immediately.

James ran in once the door was open, practically bouncing over to where Cori, Sirius and Cassie's daughter, was. James and Cori were best friends and partners in crime. Sirius had raised his only daughter to be the best prankster the Wizarding World had ever seen and, with as much time James spent with them, he'd picked it up as well.

He lifted Lily off of his shoulders and sat her on the ground as Cassie walked in. The woman gave him a wide smile. She was a fairly tall woman who was a bit younger than Sirius. She stood with grace and her round face was bright with happiness. Her blonde hair flowed down her shoulders like a river and her bright, brown eyes gleamed with kindness.

"Cassie!" Harry said happily, giving the woman a hug. Sirius had met her shortly after the war when his name was finally cleared. He'd been given a whole lot of money from the Ministry once they realized that they had locked him up for twelve years for something he didn't do and had used a lot of it to go on vacation in the United States. He struck up a conversation with a waitress while at a restaurant once learning that her name was Cassiopeia.

It had amused both of them that they had been named after stars and Sirius had gotten her number. One thing led to another, and Sirius had ended up staying in the States for a while. Remus had been the best man at his wedding and little Teddy, Sirius' godson, had been the ring bearer. Victoire, Bill's daughter, had been three at the time and was the flower girl.

The moment Cassie met Harry and learned that he was Sirius' godson, she had immediately decided that she would be the best godmother there was. She constantly acted as if she was his own mother, always calling to see how he was doing and she and Sirius were at St. Mungo's not even five minutes after Harry had called them in a panic when James, always causing trouble, was born two months premature, despite being eight months pregnant herself.

Cassie had took learning of magic in stride, too. Of course, it had been a shock, but she had simply seen it as a whole new adventure.

"Harry!" Cassie greeted happily, hugging him tightly, "Another year. You ready for it?"

Harry grinned and shook his head, "I can never be ready for these children. Where's Sirius?"

"Oh, he already headed down to the feast. Hermione's there too. Rose and Hugo are already here. Speaking of which," she turned down to Albus and Lily, "They're in the playroom. Draco Malfoy's son, Scorpius, is here as well. He's your age, Al."

This took Harry by surprise. Hermione might be friends with Malfoy, but Harry was not. They had a grudgingly civil relationship going on simply due to the fact that they were coworkers. Harry had not known that he left his son with Cassie.

"I didn't know Scorpius would be here," Harry said as Albus and Lily went running back to the room.

Cassie nodded, "Oh, of course. Draco is Sirius' cousin, after all, and Astoria is going to be with Madame Pomfrey from now on. She's practicing to be the Hogwarts Matron since Poppy is planning on retiring after this year."

Harry knew that. He had gotten close to Poppy after he started working at Hogwarts and now fully appreciated all she had done for him. He'd been in the Hospital Wing more times than he could count, after all.

He hadn't thought that this would mean that Scorpius wouldn't have somewhere to stay.

He simply nodded, "This year's going to be pretty interesting. Freddie and Georgia are starting."

Cassie let out a laugh. When both Angelina and Alicia had gotten pregnant at the same time, Fred and George had agreed to name their children after each other. George had a boy whom he had named Fred (or Freddie, as everyone called him) and Fred had a girl who he named Georgia. The toy were a pranking team that rivalled James and Cori and since their father's owned Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, it was going to be a wild year.

"Caroline is as well," Cassie said, referring to Remus and Tonks' daughter. Tonks had badly wanted a girl after the war and she had gotten her wish.

"What houses are you betting on?"

With Teddy and Victoire, the only two of their group that was in Hogwarts, everyone had bet on the houses they would end up in. Harry had been right with Teddy, betting that he would go into Hufflepuff, as the boy was hard working and fair, just like his mother, but he'd been wrong with Victoire. He'd been sure the girl would be a Ravenclaw with her brains but she'd gone to Gryffindor.

Cassie grinned at that, "Oh, Harry, I'm ashamed that you would believe that I would take place in this betting system."

Harry gave her a look. He knew quite well that Cassie had bet the last two times, and she'd won both times.

"Oh, alright. Caroline's a Gryffindor, through and through. I have no doubt about that. Freddie and Georgia are a little more complicated but I said Gryffindor as well."

Harry didn't agree with that last one but he kept quiet about it.

The door open and Harry turned to see Neville at the door. He gave them a grin as his oldest, Frank, dashed to where James and Cori were excitedly talking about what was obviously a prank. Frank was Harry's saving grace. He was the one that held the two pranksters back. He looked like Neville, though he had inherited Luna's love of magical creatures.

Alice bolted in afterwards and into Harry's arms. He grinned as he picked up his goddaughter.

"Uncle Harry! Guess what!" the girl exclaimed. Her blue eyes were bright with excitement.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"I lost a tooth!" she said, smiling brightly and showing off the missing front tooth.

Neville laughed as he walked over with Lorcan and Lysander, the twins, attached to his legs,"Lost it this morning. The tooth fairy's going to be coming tonight, isn't she?"

Alice nodded happily and shimmied her way out of Harry's arms. She held up two fingers, "Daddy said that I'm going to get two galleons!"

"Oh, I bet you will," Harry said, nodding seriously.

Alice giggled and then asked, "Where's Lily?"

"Oh, they're in the playroom," Cassie told the excitable girl and before she could say more, the five-year-old bolted from the room.

Neville laughed slightly at his daughter. Then, he turned downwards to where his two four-year-olds were attached to his legs, "Come on, guys, don't you want to go play?"

"No!" Lorcan said sternly, clutching tighter to Neville, "Not going!"

Lorcan and Lysander were a bit… attached.

Cassie kneeled down so she was on their level, "How about, if you guys let go, I'll show you my coin collection?"

The two boys seemed to contemplate it for a moment before they nodded and hopped off their father's legs. Neville gave them both a hug and they disappeared to the playroom.

Harry did not envy Cassie one bit. She was going to be watching eleven kids while they were at the feast.

"Well, Harry, we should probably get going. Don't want to be late," Neville said, "Thank you for watching them, Cassie."

"Oh, it's no problem," Cassie said truthfully, "I love the kids."

Harry didn't doubt that. Cassie had had a rough pregnancy with Cori and wasn't able to have any more kids, though she always wanted more.

"Well, we better be off. I'll tell you about the houses when I come to pick them up. Thanks for this!" Harry said, giving her a hug.

And with that, Harry and Neville left the room and headed down to the Great Hall. Hermione would be picking up the first years from the boat and taking them to the castle but the rest of the staff would be there.

He talked to Neville as they walked.

"How's Luna?"

Neville grinned at the mention of his wife, "She's great. Ollivander said that he's going to retire next year, so she'll be taking over."

Luna was an incredible wand maker. Ollivander had taught her a lot when they had been held hostage at the Malfoy's together and had given her a job once the war ended. Harry had been surprised at how good she was at it but she was famous in Diagon Alley now.

"Oh, that's great!" Harry said, "I bet she's excited."

Neville nodded at that, "She definitely is. How's Gin-"

He cut himself off, seeming to realize his mistake. The entire Wizarding World knew about the divorce. It had been on the front cover of the Daily Prophet only two days after they told their kids. Of course, they had told their friends and family before then.

"It's fine," Harry shrugged, "Quidditch season's starting up so she's been training a lot. I'll be bringing the kids over to her place on Saturday for them to spend a week with her. I'm a little worried about it. She works a lot so she'll be getting a babysitter. I hope they'll be okay…"

"I'm sure they will," Neville reassured him as they reached the Great Hall, "It's really nice that the whole divorce went so smoothly. Usually, people can't stand each other when they get divorced."

Harry nodded. There had been rumors about the reason for the divorce all over the papers until he finally explained to the public, "It was mutual. We both just realized that it was the best decision."

"I respect that," Neville said and then he opened the door to the Great Hall.

They were the last staff members to arrive. Save for Hermione who was waiting for the First years, the staff table was full. Harry and Neville walked over and took their seats. Harry sat by Sirius and Neville took a seat by Terry Boot, the Arithmancy Professor.

"Ready for another year?" Harry asked his godfather with a grin.

Sirius' grey eyes were bright with mischief, "Oh, as ready as I'll ever be."

It wasn't long after those words escaped Sirius' lips that the doors opened and a flood of students entered, chatting cheerfully to their friends as they separated to their designated tables. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw filled up, all but the ends sporting students.

Harry caught Teddy's eye as he sat down at the Hufflepuff table and the boy waved at him happily, hair a bright blue.

Sirius sent Harry a grin, "So, Caroline's a definite Gryffindor."

"Yeah, that's for sure. Freddie and Georgia though…"

Sirius just grinned at that.

The first years piled in after Hermione who grinned at Harry as she entered. She walked up the steps where the stool and the Sorting Hat was and swiftly turned to the nervous first years. Harry's eyes scanned the many faces and quickly spotted the three that he knew. Caroline's eyes were glancing around a bit nervously, but he could see how excited she was. Georgia and Freddie were whispering to each other, probably planning something.

After the hat had sang, Hermione spoke, "When I call your name, come up to the stool. Anderson, Rachel."

A small, mousy girl nervously walked up to the hat and sat on the stool. She gripped the edge tightly as Hermione set the hat on her head and it fell over her eyes. About fifteen seconds passed before the hat shouted, "Ravenclaw!"

And so the sorting began. Student after student walked up to the stool and were sorted into their new houses. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw. The list got shorter and shorter in Hermione's hands.

"Caroline Lupin."

Harry leaned forward at that one. Hermione gave the brown-haired girl an encouraging smile as she arrived and sat on the stool.

Just as Harry had expected, the hat had barely touched her head before shouting, "Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table burst into applause. Harry clapped just as hard as them and Sirius looked like he was about to stand on the staff table and do a jig. Harry saw Teddy at the Hufflepuff table looking a little disappointed, but clapping anyway.

"Knew it," Harry grinned at Sirius, "Sadly, I think everyone bet on Gryffindor."

Sirius laughed at that, "No money for us."

The list continued to go down, dwindling until there were only three first years waiting in line.

"Weasley, Fred."

The boy hopped forward excitedly, not an ounce of nervousness revealed on his face. A prime example of a Gryffindor. He sat on the stool and shoved the hat on his head excitedly.

Everyone expected the hat to shout out the house of the lions the moment it hit his head, but it did not. Harry watched as the excited expression on Freddie's face slowly melted into a nervous one. His fingers tightened on the stool, knuckles turning white. His lips moved silently, as if he was arguing with the hat.

It lasted for three long minutes, longer than any of the previous first years. Harry could see Georgia in the line, looking incredibly nervous as she watched her cousin.

Whispers began sparking up around the hall.

Finally, the hat shouted for everyone to hear, "Slytherin!"

Freddie seemed frozen on the stool, even after Hermione lifted the hat off his head. Georgia stood, mouth open in horrified shock. The entire hall was silent.

Harry glanced at Sirius, who looked shocked, and knew that he had to do something. He started to clap for his nephew, hoping that the boy would understand that he wasn't going to be abandoned for being a Slytherin. Sirius got the hint quickly and joined in, as did Neville, Teddy, and Victoire. A few other students here and there clapped as well, but the hall was mostly silent.

Freddie glanced back at the table and gave them a small, sad smile. Harry had never seen the boy as upset as he was as he walked to the Slytherin table. Unlike when Harry had been sorted, the Slytherins did not greet him. They did not even speak to him and he sat at the very end, staring blankly at the table.

"Weasley, Georgia."

The girl walked up to the stool, much slower and looking rather disappointed. She sat on the stool and it barely touched her head before shouting, "Gryffindor!"

The Fred and George reincarnations had been split up.

Once Clarissa Zabini had been sorted into Ravenclaw and McGonagall gave her speech, Harry turned to Sirius, "I called it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hopefully, this chapter was good! I needed to introduce more characters and information on how things went down. Next chapter, we'll actually have some Harry/Hermione interaction and Harry finding out who Ginny chose for a babysitter.
> 
> Leave me a comment on how this chapter went, and tell me what you want to see in the future!


	3. Pride and Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry gives Freddie some advice and learns of who Ginny picked for the kids babysitter.

The first week flew by, as it always did. Harry had never felt so overwhelmed.

Throughout the day, James, Albus, and Lily stayed with Cassie. Cassie took it all in stride. She adored watching the kids and Harry felt good leaving them with her. He trusted her, after all. He knew that she would die protecting them and she would never hurt them, so the only thing he was worried about when leaving them with her was how they treated her. After all, he wasn't the only one leaving his kids with her. Scorpius was with her all day, and so were Rose and Hugo. Neville's kids were with Luna whenever she was off (which was every other day) but when she wasn't, they were with Cassie.

He had no idea how she handled all of them, but she did and they all loved her.

Albus had become best friends with Scorpius and this bothered Harry for a while. He wasn't fond of Draco, after all. However, he was quick to realize that his rivalry with Draco shouldn't affect his son's friendships.

During the day, Harry taught and taught and taught. He quickly learned who of the first years were trouble-makers and learned who would be the best in the class and the worst in the class.

In the evening, he was busy grading papers and trying to watch James, Albus, and Lily. Lily's accidental magic came as if a dam had broken and now he was having to watch her carefully. James and Cori had started several pranks around school. Albus was constantly talking to him, rambling about what they had done that day.

It made concentrating on grading very difficult.

He'd been watching Freddie, hoping to see the boy's spirits up, but that hadn't happen. Freddie seemed to sulk around the castle, not talking to anyone, even Georgia.

Harry had hoped things would work out for the boy, but it looked like he would have to take things into his own hands.

It was Friday. His last class was first year Slytherins and Hufflepuffs. So, as it finished, he spoke up.

"Freddie, stay after class."

The boy sent him a look but nodded. As the students piled out of the classroom, Freddie walked up to his desk.

"How are you doing?" Harry asked him simply, eyebrows raised at the eleven-year-old.

Freddie huffed, crossing his arms, "How does it look? I'm a stinking Slytherin."

Harry simply nodded at that, "Yes, you are a Slytherin. How is it? I heard the Common Room is under the lake."

The boy's eyebrows furrowed. He hadn't expected that response, "Well… it's kind of cool. But everyone there hates me because I'm a Weasley. And everyone in the school hates me because I'm a Slytherin."

Harry sighed. He knew that Freddie was looking at things in a negative way, though it was true that many believed that. There were a lot of prejudice in the school against Slytherins.

"The other Slytherin's are most likely just a bit confused. At least most of them. I know that they're trying hard to fix the image of Slytherin house being all about blood purity. There has never been a Weasley in Slytherin before. Look at you, breaking rules your first day in."

It was a poor way to cheer him up and he knew it.

Freddie huffed again, "Everyone in Slytherin are prats. They're all sneaky little snakes who manipulate people for their own gain."

"You do realize that being sneaky isn't a bad thing, right?" Harry raised his eyebrows at him, "You and Georgia have been sneaking around places since you could walk."

He faltered at that, "That's different."

"Is it? There's a reason why most of the Slytherin's escaped the Battle of Hogwarts fairly unscathed. They were sneaky. At the time, I thought that they had just abandoned us but as I grew older and met more people, I've realized that that wasn't the case. There were several Slytherins fighting but they were just smarter than others not to be seen. They helped us just as much as the other houses."

Freddie stared at Harry, eyes wide, "But… Slytherin is Voldemort's house."

A sigh escaped Harry's lips and he nodded, "Yes, it was. It was home to a lot of dark wizards, but so was Gryffindor and Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor and it was him that led my parents to their deaths."

Freddie winced at that and looked at the ground.

"Kathryn Oswald was a Hufflepuff. Do you know who she was?"

Freddie shook his head.

"She was one of Voldemort's most loyal followers, though she managed to stay mostly in the shadows. After the war, she showed her true colors and attacked dozens of Muggle towns and killed a total of fifty people. She even murdered her newborn baby in a failed ritual to bring Voldemort back to life. Loyalty can be just as dangerous as manipulation."

Freddie looked horrified at that, "But Hufflepuff's are supposed to be nice!"

Harry nodded, "You need to realize that stereotypes are just that: stereotypes. Hufflepuffs are not always kind. Hardworking and loyalty does not equal kindness. You can work hard on a crime. You can be loyal to someone horrible. Same with Gryffindor. Bravery does not equal good. You can brave to commit a crime. You can be determined to kill someone. Wit can be used for harm. Intelligence can be dangerous."

Freddie chewed on his bottom lip, thinking hard. Finally, he protested weakly, "But I'm not a Slytherin."

A laugh escaped his lips at that. Freddie trying to say that he wasn't a Slytherin was like Ron trying to say he wasn't a Gryffindor, "Of course you are, Freddie. I've never seen someone as sneaky as you, or as ambitious as you. Wasn't it you that said that you want to be Minister of Magic one day?"

The boy gave a small nod.

Harry smiled at him, "Slytherin is a great house filled with amazing wizards. Severus Snape was a Slytherin, you know? He was the bravest man I ever knew."

Freddie seemed to be brightening up at this as he leaned in, wanting to hear more.

"Draco Malfoy was a Slytherin as well," Harry said, sighing softly.

"But you don't like him."

"No," Harry agreed, smiling, "But I respect him. He saved my life when we were captured by Death Eaters in the war and I know that he's an amazing father. He, like a lot of Slytherins, didn't have a choice during the War but at his trial, several people came forward saying that he saved their lives and even helped some escape when he could."

Freddie nodded, understand. He still didn't look sure, though, "That still doesn't change the fact that everyone hates me."

"Everyone doesn't hate you," Harry assured him, "I don't, Sirius doesn't, Neville and Hermione don't, Teddy and Victoire and Georgia and Caroline don-"

The first year interrupted him, "Georgia hasn't spoken to me once!"

Harry winced. He had noticed that. The girl seemed to be a bit upset.

Deciding to prove a point, he asked, "What did your parents say?"

Freddie shrugged and pulled a letter out of his pocket, "Dad sent me this the first day… I haven't read it."

"Why not?"

"What if he disowned me?" Freddie asked, voice shaking fearfully.

Harry stared at his nephew in disbelief. He shook his head softly, "Freddie, your father is the last person alive who would disown you for something as simple as being a Slytherin. Mind if I read it out loud?"

Freddie looked scared but he nodded.

Harry pulled out the letter and skimmed through it. He smirked lightly and then started to read.

"Dear Freddie,

Slytherin! I can't say I expected it, that would be your Uncle Harry, but I can definitely see it. Merlin, this is great. You and Georgia are going to be the prankster royalty! Your Uncle Fred and I only really had access to the Gryffindors but now you to have access to two houses! Just imagine the things you two are going to do.

Make sure to keep me updated. I'll send you pranking supplies, just don't tell your mother. I've already got some Extendable Ears ready to send to you so get back to me soon and I'll send them.

Your mother says she's proud of you. Slytherin needs a good Beater. Next year, you're going to have to get on the team and give Slytherin a chance. I've heard that they haven't won the Quidditch Cup in years!

I bet you can get a lot of your fellow snakes to help with pranks. They're all sneaky. Come to think of it, Fred and I really should have been Slytherins.

Write back soon about the pranks.

With love,

Dad."

Harry glanced up at his nephew. The boy was blinking back relieved tears.

"Now," Harry said slowly, nodding at Freddie, "You and Georgia go out there and make a name for yourselves. Don't tell McGonagall that I said that."

"Daddy, I can't find my shoes!"

"Jamie took my doll!"

"Where's my bag?"

Harry sighed, running a hand over his face. It was Saturday. That meant that he had to take the kids over to Ginny's for the week. It was rather difficult to get three kids to the floo with everything they needed.

He pulled out his wand and summoned Albus' shoes, "Al, come here," he said and the six-year-old walked over, "Here's your shoes."

Albus beamed and took them. He had recently learned to tie his own shoes and always loved to show it off.

"James, give Lily back her doll," he told his oldest, "And your bag is in your room."

The boy sighed but handed his sister back the doll and bounded off to his bedroom. Minutes later, he was running back with his gold back on his shoulders.

"I'm ready!" he said happily.

Harry let his eyes roam over his children, making sure they had everything. Their shoes were on, they had their bags (Harry had personally packed them to make sure they didn't leave anything behind). He gave a nod of satisfaction.

"Alright, we'll be taking the floo. I'll go with Lily. James, Albus, you can go alone, right?"

The two boys nodded confidently.

"Lily and I will go last. James, you first."

His oldest smiled proudly and bounced up to the floo. He grabbed a handful of floo powder. One hand holding tightly to his bag, he flung the powder into the floo and spoke, "Potter Cottage."

As he was whisked away, Albus replaced him in the floo.

Once his sons had flooed away, he climbed into the floo holding Lily. The girl had a bit of a lisp and couldn't enunciate things clearly, so he was always worried to let her go alone.

He arrived at Potter Cottage moments later. James and Albus had run into their mother's arms and Ginny was hugging them as if she hadn't seen them in years. Lily wiggled out of Harry's hold and bolted to Ginny as well.

Harry glanced around. Ginny hadn't changed anything about the place except that he noticed several suitcases by the couch.

The door to the kitchen opened and a man walked out. Harry almost pulled his wand on him in habit but pulled himself back as Ginny gave him a smile.

She turned to her kids, "This is Michael Corner. He's going to be your nanny while I'm at work."

Michael Corner. He'd been in Dumbledore's Army and he'd dated Ginny for a while, but Harry didn't know him all that well.

"Actually, it's a manny," Michael corrected with a smirk. He glanced to Harry and his face clouded over with what looked to be jealousy. He nodded stiffly, "Potter."

It wasn't hard to realize that the man wasn't fond of Harry. He nodded back, "Corner."

Michael's eyes flitted over each of the kids before resting on Lily, "Aw, Gin. She looks just like you."

Lily beamed proudly at that and hopped slightly as she spoke, "Mummy says I'm her mini-me!"

"That you are," Michael said cheerfully, ruffling the girl's hair, "Hey, I brought Exploding Snap with me. You guys want to go play a game?"

The three children nodded enthusiastically and bounced off after him as he left the room.

Harry raised his eyebrows at Ginny, "Michael Corner? Really?"

She sighed, "We met up at the Three Broomsticks the other day. He told me that he had recently lost his job and his home. I mentioned that I needed to find a babysitter and he agreed, so he'll be living here with me to watch the kids," she suddenly changed the subject, "Anything about the kids I should know?"

He shrugged, "Albus has a new best friend. It's Scorpius Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" her lips quirked up at that, "Wow, I didn't expect that."

He shook his head, agreeing, "Well, I'll just say my goodbyes and be off."

She nodded and he walked to the area that he saw the kids and Michael go. He found them in the kitchen, surrounding the table.

"Alright, kids, I'm going to go now. I'll see you next Saturday."

They nodded distractedly. Harry frowned, feeling a bit of jealousy ignite.

Ginny gave him a reassuring smile, "They'll be excited to see you when you get back. Don't worry."

He nodded, said one more goodbye that got half-hearted replies, and left.

"What are you doing out here?"

Harry glanced up. He was outside, sitting against a tree with several essays in front of him. He'd brought them with him to grade, but had gotten distracted staring off into space.

Hermione was standing next to him.

He shrugged lightly, "Just thinking. I actually have time to do that now. Last week, I was overwhelmed. Now, I feel underwhelmed."

She gave a soft laugh at that and sat beside Harry, "I know what you mean. Ron has the kids this weekend. It's too quiet in my quarters. There's no screaming children running around, creating messes or fighting. It's a bit peaceful, but it's also boring."

He smiled softly and nodded. Things were a bit boring without the kids running around. It was too quiet. They had been gone a full day now and it was the longest that he'd gone without seeing them. He was really starting to miss them. There was too much free time on his hands.

"How are the essays coming along?" Hermione asked him, noticing the papers.

"They're not," he said with a sigh, glancing down at the one in his hands. It was by a sixth year Gryffindor and, to put it mildly, it was bad.

"Let me see," Hermione said, holding her hand out. He handed the paper to her and the moment she read the line, her nose scrunched up, "Oh, wow. This reminds me of one of your essays when we were younger."

He laughed, "Mine were not that bad!"

"Only because I edited them," Hermione smirked, leaning back against the tree beside them, "You probably would have failed all of your classes with me."

Harry refused to admit that she was right, so he took the more mature route of sticking his tongue out at her.

She raised her eyebrows at him, "Yeah, you've been spending way too much time with your kids."

She handed him back the essay and bushed her dark, bushy hair out of her face. Harry just rolled his eyes at her, though she was right. James, especially, was very fond of sticking his tongue out at people. He really needed to spend more time with adults.

"Well," he said slowly, "The first Hogsmeade Visit is on a week where the kids will be with Ginny and I've already volunteered to chaperone. I'll get out then."

"I'm chaperoning too. I'll come with. I haven't been there in so long," Hermione said cheerfully, "Cassie already said that she'd watch Rose and Hugo. By the way, have I told you about Rose's new crush?"

Harry raised his eyebrows, "A crush?"

She nodded and giggled softly, "All I hear about nowadays is Scorpius this and Scorpius that. The other day, she told me that she's going to marry him. Isn't that cute?"

Harry laughed, "It seems both of our kids have gotten close to the Malfoy kid. He and Albus are best friends now. It's rather odd, considering the fact that we hated Malfoy when we were kids."

"Yeah, but Draco isn't like his father," Hermione shrugged, "We talked for a while earlier. Draco was taught about blood supremacy from a young age. It was pretty much drilled into him. Now that he understands, he said that he's raising his son differently. He doesn't want him to be a spoiler brat like he was, and he's not. He's doing really well raising him."

Harry had to agree with that. When he'd first met Scorpius, he'd been surprised at how different the boy was from the pureblooded brat that Harry had known at Hogwarts. Draco had really changed after the war, though that was partly because of the warning he'd been given at his trial. He had to change, and he did. He had really redeemed himself.

"If someone would have told me that Malfoy would be a decent adult, I would have laughed in their face," Harry smirked.

"If someone had told me that Harry Potter would be a professor, I would have died laughing," Hermione retorted, poking him, "People change and grow up. You're a far cry from the first year who tried to convince me to do his homework."

A sigh escaped his lips, "Life happened. The War happened."

"Exactly," she said with a nod, "We can't judge people on how they were as children. Ron's an amazing father but he was an irresponsible child. For Merlin's Sake, Fred and George are parents!"

He grinned at that, "Alicia said that Fred's planning on having more kids."

"More? They already have five!"

"Apparently, he wants to have eight. I think he took Arthur's joke that none of them were going to have as many kids as they did as a challenge."

Hermione shook her head fondly, "There's too many kids that I can keep track of."

Her watch suddenly made a beeping sound. She glanced down at it and quickly stood up.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, concerned.

"Oh, Ron should be arriving with Rose and Hugo soon. I need to get back to my quarters."

Harry nodded in understanding, "Well, I'll see you later, Hermione."

The woman grinned, "You too."

He watched her go. For some reason, he found himself staring. He pulled his eyes back to the essay as he wrote a 'P' at the top.

He hated giving bad grades, but they would never get better if he didn't.


End file.
